Who is Diya Kumari? Biography, Age, Husband, Kids, Parents, Net Worth, Political Career
Diya Kumari (born 30 January 1971, Age: 52 years old) is a prominent Indian politician and the current Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan. She is also the titular princess of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan, and a descendant of the erstwhile royal family of the Jaipur State.
She has a remarkable life story that spans from her royal upbringing to her controversial marriage, from her claim to be a descendant of Lord Rama to her demand for the ownership of the Taj Mahal, and from her successful political career to her philanthropic endeavors. In this article, we will explore the various aspects of her life and achievements, and try to answer the question: Who is Diya Kumari?
Early Life and Education
Diya was born on 30 January 1971 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. She is the only child of Bhawani Singh and Padmini Devi, who were the last ruling Maharaja and Maharani of the Jaipur State. She is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, who was the last ruling Maharaja of the Jaipur State during the British Raj in India.
Kumari attended Modern School in New Delhi, G.D. Somani Memorial School in Mumbai, and Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School in Jaipur. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Fine Art (Decorative Painting) from Chelsea College of Arts in London, and an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from Amity University in Jaipur.
Marriage, Divorce & Kids
Diya married Narendra Singh, a commoner from her own Kachhwaha Rajput clan, in 1997. The marriage was a love match and was opposed by the Rajput community, who sent death threats to the couple for marrying within the same gotra (sub-caste). The couple also faced protests and boycotts from some of their relatives and friends.
Diya and Narendra Singh have three children: Padmanabh Singh, Gauravi Kumari, and Lakshraj Prakash Singh. Padmanabh Singh is the adopted son of Bhawani Singh and the titular Maharaja of Jaipur. He is also a polo player and a fashion model. Gauravi Kumari is a socialite and a philanthropist. Lakshraj Prakash Singh is a student and an aspiring politician.
Kumari and Narendra Singh divorced in 2018, after 21 years of marriage. The reason for the divorce was not disclosed, but it was reported that the couple had been living separately for a long time.
Parents and Siblings
Diya is the only child of Bhawani Singh and Padmini Devi, who were the last ruling Maharaja and Maharani of the Jaipur State.
Bhawani Singh was born on 22 October 1931 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. He was the son of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the Jaipur State during the British Raj in India, and Marudhar Kanwar, the daughter of Sumer Singh, the Maharaja of Jodhpur. He had three sisters: Gayatri Devi, Sita Devi, and Premila Devi. He was educated at Mayo College in Ajmer, Harrow School in London, and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. He joined the Indian Army in 1951 and served in various regiments and commands.
He fought in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel and Commanding Officer of the 10th Parachute Regiment. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra, the second-highest military decoration in India, for his bravery and leadership. He retired from the army in 1974 and became the head of the Jaipur royal family. He was also an entrepreneur and a patron of art and culture. He died on 17 April 2011 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, due to multi-organ failure.
Padmini Devi was born on 24 September 1944 in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, India. She is the daughter of Rajendra Prakash, the last ruling Maharaja of Sirmur, a princely state of British India in Himachal Pradesh, and Indira Devi, his second wife. She has a half-brother, Vikramaditya Prakash, from her father’s first marriage to Durga Devi. She was educated at Convent of Jesus and Mary in Shimla, and St. Bede’s College in Shimla. She married Bhawani Singh on 10 March 1966 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. She is the titular Maharani of Jaipur and the patron of various charitable and cultural organizations. She lives in the City Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Physical Stats
Diya Kumari’s height is approximately 165 cm (5 feet 5 inches), and her weight is around 60 kg (132 lbs). She has black hair and dark brown eyes. She has a fair complexion and a slim body type.
Nationality, Caste, and Religion
Kumari is an Indian citizen by birth. She belongs to the Kachhwaha Rajput clan, which is one of the major Rajput clans of India. The Kachhwaha Rajputs trace their origin to Kush, the elder son of Lord Rama, the legendary king of Ayodhya and the protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana. The Kachhwaha Rajputs ruled over the Jaipur State for more than seven centuries, from 1128 to 1949.
Diya follows Hinduism as her religion. She worships various Hindu deities, such as Lord Rama, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Durga, and Goddess Lakshmi. She also respects other religions and participates in various interfaith events and dialogues. She celebrates various Hindu festivals, such as Diwali, Holi, Navratri, and Janmashtami, with her family and friends.
Diya Kumari Wiki/Bio
| Name | Diya Kumari |
| Date of Birth | 30 January 1971 |
| Place of Birth | Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Age (as of 2023) | 52 years |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Caste | Kachhwaha Rajput |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Education | A Fine Arts Decorative Painting Diploma from Parsons Art and Design School, London |
| Profession | Politician, Socialite, Philanthropist |
| Political Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) |
| Political Positions | Member of Parliament from Rajsamand (2019-2023) Member of Legislative Assembly from Sawai Madhopur (2013-2018) and Vidhyadhar Nagar (2023-present) Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan (2023-present) |
| Parents | Bhawani Singh (father) Padmini Devi (mother) |
| Siblings | None |
| Spouse | Narendra Singh Rajawat (m. 1997; div. 2018) |
| Children | Padmanabh Singh (son) Gauravi Kumari (daughter) Lakshraj Prakash Singh (son) |
| Net Worth | Rs 19 crore (as of 2023) |
| Residence | City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Hobbies | Reading, Painting, Travelling, Animal Welfare |
| Awards and Honours | Mahavir Chakra (posthumously awarded to her father in 1971) Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from Amity University, Jaipur (2019) |
| Social Media Handles | Instagram: diyakumariofficial Facbook: diyakumari Wikipedia: Diya_Kumari Twitter: KumariDiya Website: diyakumariofficial.com |
| Homepage | newsunzip.com |
Net Worth and Assets
Kumari is believed to be a billionaire, as she manages several properties, businesses, trusts, and schools. She owns the City Palace in Jaipur, which is also her residence, and the Jaigarh Fort and Amber in Jaipur. She also runs two trusts: Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust and the Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust, which are involved in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Jaipur.
She also operates two schools: The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, which provide quality education to the children of Jaipur. She also owns three hotels: Rajmahal Palace in Jaipur, Hotel Jaipur House at Mount Abu, and Hotel Lal Mahal Palace in Jaipur.
According to her self-declared affidavit as part of her nomination filing during the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections, Diya Kumari has declared assets worth Rs 19 crore. Over Rs 15 crore has been listed as being holdings and investments as shares in companies, bonds, and debentures.
Political Career
Diya joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2013 and contested the 2013 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections from the Sawai Madhopur constituency. She won the election and became an MLA. She was also appointed as the vice-president of the BJP’s Rajasthan unit.
In 2019, she contested the Lok Sabha elections from Rajsamand constituency and won by a huge margin of 5.51 lakh votes. She became a Member of Parliament and served in various parliamentary committees.
In 2023, she contested the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections again, this time from the Vidhyadhar Nagar constituency. She won the election and became an MLA for the second time. She also resigned from her Lok Sabha seat to focus on her state-level responsibilities.
On 12 December 2023, she was sworn in as the 6th Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, along with Prem Chand Bairwa, in the ministry of Bhajan Lal Sharma. She is the first woman to hold this post in the history of Rajasthan. She is also in charge of various portfolios, such as Home, Finance, Education, Tourism, and Women and Child Development.
Controversies and Claims
Kumari has been involved in several controversies and claims throughout her life. Some of the most notable ones are:
Claiming to be a descendant of Lord Rama
Diya made headlines in 2019 when she claimed to be a direct descendant of Lord Rama, the legendary king of Ayodhya and the protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana. She said that Jaipur’s throne is the capital of the descendants of Kush, the elder son of Lord Rama. She made these claims amid the Ayodhya dispute when the Supreme Court asked Ram Lalla’s lawyer if there were any living descendants of Lord Rama present in Ayodhya or in the world.
She presented a pamphlet in the court, which listed the names of all the descendants of Lord Rama’s clan in sequential order. In the pamphlet, Maharaja Bhawani Singh (Diya Kumari’s father) was listed as the 307th descendant. Apart from that, there were two maps and nine documents from Pothikhana to support her claim.
Demanding the ownership of the Taj Mahal
Kumari stirred controversy in 2022 by claiming that the land on which the Taj Mahal was constructed originally belonged to Jaipur’s ruler Jai Singh and that it was captured by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the monument in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
She said that her family has documents and maps to prove their ownership of the land and that they will file a case in the court to reclaim it. She also said that the Taj Mahal is a part of the cultural heritage of Jaipur and that her family has the right to manage and maintain it.
Facing death threats from the Rajput community upon marriage
Kumari’s marriage in 1997 outraged the Rajput community, who sent death threats to her for marrying a man of the same gotra (sub-caste). The marriage was considered as a violation of the Rajput code of honor, and a threat to the purity of the royal bloodline. A Rajput leader of her husband’s namesake, Narendra Singh Rajawat, along with his henchmen, announced that he would blacken Diya and her husband’s faces and send suicide squads for them.
The Rajput leader also barged into Diya’s father’s office to protest her marriage and told her mother to adopt Islam to conduct the wedding. Kamlendra Singh, a henchman of Narendra Singh, threatened to kidnap the couple. One of the henchmen of Narendra Singh insisted that the couple should remain celibate and not bear any children.
Philanthropy and Social Work
Diya is also known for her philanthropy and social work. She is the founder and chairperson of the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, a non-profit organization that works for the empowerment of women, youth, and rural communities in Rajasthan. The foundation runs various initiatives, such as skill development, health care, education, livelihood, and heritage conservation.
Kumari is also the patron of the Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, a school for children with special needs in Jaipur. She is also the patron of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, which preserves and promotes the art, culture, and history of Jaipur. She is also the patron of the Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust, which works for the welfare of the people living in and around the Jaigarh Fort.
Diya is also involved in various social causes, such as animal welfare, environmental protection, heritage conservation, and women’s rights. She is an avid animal lover and has adopted many stray animals. She is also a supporter of the Clean India campaign and the Save Water campaign. She is also a vocal advocate of women’s empowerment and gender equality, and has participated in various events and campaigns to raise awareness and support for the same.
